July 23rd was the opening for my first immersive video and soundscape "C0DE DENS1TY".

In Code Density, the artist immerses the viewer in code by placing them in the “brain” of the computer. As the code fills up the room, wrapping the viewer in text, the computer struggles to continue processing the data. Glitches appear creating beautiful digital disasters. The glitches continue as more data pours into the computer becoming more frequent and complexed. The computer finally crashes in a blaze of glitch glory. Viewers are left pondering a number of questions: What was all this data? What was the computer trying to process? The code that viewer witnessed was simply the code for a blank video file. The complex experience was simple an empty canvas, whose data is able to crash a system when placed front and center. On a day-to-day basis we take this data for granted when it is hidden in the depths of the computer’s brain.

The soundscape presented with this piece was created to be in sync with the text on the screen and includes sounds made with the digits being processed by a number of hacked digital and analog devices.

Big thanks to Gabe Liberti, Burnkit2600, Kristin Sancken, and Lightbox for being the best colabo team ever!

On September 27th “Reddit Birthday” was held in a Manhattan production studio. This piece was a virtual birthday party in honor of my one-year reddit birthday. According to reddit itself, reddit is “a source for what’s new and popular on the web,” and its strength derives from its strong community. Many reddit users celebrate their “reddit birthdays” as the anniversary of the date they created their reddit account. Many Redditors choose to create and post something in honor of that “birthday.”

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For my Reddit Birthday, I hosted a real-life party in New York City and an interactive birthday party online. Redditors and friends were invited to celebrate with me. I posted Skype links to six computers that were at my birthday table. The guests who attend my virtual birthday party were able to join these video chats and be part of the celebration. Each guest, in real life or online, received reddit gold, an extended set of features that is available on reddit for a small fee. Reddit Birthday is a well-choreographed performance streamed live on Ustream for everyone to enjoy. As guests signed in and out of the party via Skype, my team of stage hands opened new chats, took party photos (or screen shots), and kept track of guests so I could distribute party favors. Invitations with specifics were posted on reddit the week of the party.

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Reddit Birthday was an experiment in public and private self and also a question of technology and human interaction. With the invention and accessibility of computers to the general public, new issues in social interactions arise. Social media, though a revolutionary way to connect people, also limits personal contact. The ease of online chatting and profile comments allows people to connect and share images instantly but also causes social awkwardness with a lack of real contact. Reddit Birthday is a juxtaposition of real world and virtual interaction and allows the viewer to decide if new technology is a social revolution or disorder.

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TL;DR

I throw myself a virtual birthday party every year an the anniversary of creating a social media account.